Sundance Channel sets scripted fare

Network ramps up original programming slate

Sundance Channel is ramping up its original programming slate and will go forward with its first scripted miniseries.

“Carlos,” starring Edgar Ramirez, will offer the travails of international terrorist Carlos the Jackal, who went on a killing spree in Europe and the Middle East in the 1970s and ’80s. Three-part mini, set to debut in the fall, is directed by Olivier Assayas. Film en Stock produces with Canal Plus and Sundance Channel.

Cabler also greenlit doc series “Girls Who Like Boys Who Like Boys,” about women and their gay best friends. Shooting begins next month and skein is set to launch in August. World of Wonder produces.

Net has toyed with scripted series in the past. Hybrid 2004 skein “Tanner on Tanner,” which combined scripted and improvised dialogue, was directed by Robert Altman and written by Gary Trudeau. Series was a sequel to “Tanner 88,” about a failed political campaign and the filmmakers that cover each day’s events.

Also premiering in August is Web series “Seduce Me,” a follow-up to the Isabella Rossellini starrer “Green Porno.” In “Seduce Me,” Rossellini explains the seduction techniques of several animals, including bed bugs and jellyfish.

Series that picked up renewals include acclaimed doc “Brick City” (about the attempted revitalization of Newark, N.J., and the challenges ahead for Mayor Cory Booker), “The Lazy Environmentalist,” “Man Shops Globe,” “The Day Before” and Robert Redford-produced “Iconoclasts,” which pairs two eclectic personalities. Season five begins in September.

“The Clinic,” about a medical facility that pushes the boundaries of human testing; Tony To (“Band of Brothers”) produces.

“Fear of Flying,” an adaptation of Erica Jong’s novel, examines the life of poet Isadora Wong and the men she loved.

“Shutterbabe,” which examines a young female photojournalist who travels the globe.

Net is also giving high priority to a handful of design- and fashion-themed series. Design skeins in development include “Teman and Teran,” “Made on Earth” and “Design Intervention With Brian Collins.”

Fashion shows in the pipeline are “Agent of Fashion,” “All on the Line,” “Fashion Fix” and “Fashion Icon.”